Gettting through all the noise, one cup at a time

This is the new look of my followers list as of 4:40-ish Mountain Time today. At first glance, I like the fact that you can see a list view or a expanded view where you can see a potential follower’s latest tweet.

I also like the “one line has all info” feature.

Off to go get the kiddos, so I will explore more tonight. What do you think?

According to the TwiTip site that I read this morning (which is dated July 1) Twitter is the darling of social media right now. They posted “5 Uncommon Ways Your #Business Can Use Twitter” which I honestly don’t think should be that “uncommon”. I hope this is the FIRST five things that agencies think of!

I have a presentation called “Why Twitter” where I outline the age old Twitter question: What do you say? This always seems to help ease people into figuring out how to start a conversation on Twitter. These go along with TwiTip’s tips as the first two steps on Twitter….listening & participating.

The time has come for the birdie to leave the nest. Rochelle DeLong took me under her wing and brought me into Consilio in March to not only help her company learn, promote and market with social media but to have a place for small businesses to turn to for help getting into social media that wouldn’t cost them an arm and leg.

She helped me release the fear that I have had about opening up my own company and start helping the people step into the pool with all this social computing “stuff”! :)

Ideally, I would love to be inside a company and really get my teeth into their soul and bring it to the masses…but those positions are only just now starting to emerge and corporations and still skeptical of adding a full time social media gal to their payroll. Which we all know is completely foolish…better to be on the 8 ball than behind it at this point. IMHO. :) But, let me say, there are smart companies out there that are hiring – good job!

Tuesday is my last day. Rochelle and I are working out who goes “with me” etc. There are things that she can do, things that I can do & we will be working that out. I will still be working for her as their internal social media gal doing strategy, management &rallying for them. I will also be part of her network of contractors that makes her & her company just absolutely amazing.

Her business model is to help small businesses with the thinking that outsourcing is the best model. Do what you are good at…and don’t worry about the things you are not. But at the same time she teaches you to be aware, be a smart business owner & learn how to grow yourself & your business to reach your goals. She is not a coach for your business, she is a paramedic & a neurologist.

Thank you Rochelle, I couldn’t ask for a better 4 months of work to learn more about myself as a human being, a parent, a wife and a friend. You make people be good at being human.

I was asked by Fox12 yesterday about hashtags, the Iranian conflict and how spammers are taking advantage of the “trending topics” in Twitter to get you to go to their site…and buy whatever blue little pill you desire.

If you click on this stuff….sorry, ya kinda get what you deserve!

Be smart!! When it looks like a rat, smells like a rat…it’s probably a spammer.

Shavano Custom Log Works is nestled on the side of the road on Hyw 285 between Salida & Buena Vista with THIS backdrop…..nice corner office if I do say so myself! Adam Rhude has been building custom homes for 5 years now in this location & the only “advertising, promoting or marketing” he has ever done is 100% word of mouth…and a KILLER location!

Adam has literally sold homes off of drive-by’s. He doesn’t have a website, a dedicated email, an “office”…just a reputation. Ahh, the power! Of course those items he doesn’t have are going to change soon *ahem…he “knows” people* but what a great way to start an online reputation…with a great REAL LIFE one!

I write this off of personal experience. Adam & his wife, Amy, are some of our closest friends ever & I adore them, trust them and know that whatever Adam sinks his teeth into is going to be a success. A really good guy. Couldn’t ask for a better client. Stay tuned & http://www.ShavanoLogs.com will soon be live, kickin’ and his fantastic reputation will live on.

First, a bit of disclosure: Tami Sheppard, owner of BeadSong, is one of my bestest friends. Her & her husband Duke were in our wedding, I have worked for her (actually, I was paid in beads) and I just stayed in their cottage at their house during a recent visit to Salida…with that said: if you are ever in Salida, her store is a must see (I would send you to her website, but she doesn’t have one…yes, we are working on that!)

BeadSong got it’s name due to the AMAZING opera voice of Tami. She spontaneously sang a beautiful Italian opera at our wedding that brought the house down. She began beading many, many, MANY :) years ago & after settling into Salida, and noticing a niche that needed to be filled in this ever growing art community.

Tami just celebrated her 14th year in business in downtown Salida with a customer base of tourists shopping after they come off the mountain at Monarch in the winter or off the Arkansas river in the summer. She has an AMAZING selection, loyal local customers & fanatical tourists who come back year after year to see “the bead lady”. She tells stories of getting mail addressed to her as “The Bead Lady, Salida, Co.” & it gets to her. Got-to-love a small town!

My favorite part about Tami is that she really enjoys beading. Yes, she gets burned out like all of us…so what does she do? She travels to the Czech Republic and tours a glass bead factory! She brought back some beautiful beads (which I of course purchased 2 bracelets) and stories of how they make, string & sell their beads.

Tami’s secret? Take a break from what you love or you will burn out quick. Tami works 3 of the 6 days she is open (my assumption is that she is paying in REAL money, rather than beads) and loves to travel. She and Duke get away to Mexico at least twice a year to fish, sleep, relax and ride their motorcycles. Balance.

I love that we can all connect with each other in a way that makes the awakardness go away when you meet face:face for the first time. That is Twitter.

I love that the majority of people who try to tell you that you can make a gazillio dollars with Twitter in one month are outed, made fun of, blocked, mocked & sucomb to the mob that is Twitter. BoooYaaa! *she says w/all the thunder that is her inner Al Pacino*

HubSpot has come out wtth some very revealing Twitter stats that say 50-75% of users (in my oh so humble opinion) are not taking full advantage of communicating with current, potential & possibly disgruntled customers. Yea for us that are on! And, yea for anyone that might be teaching a Twitter Workshop in the next two weeks or so *cheese*.

So again, if you are using – great…take advantage of the relationships you are creating and keep listening! Just think if you would have gotten on this “blog bandwaggon” 4 years ago when the big whigs thought it was a passing fluke! :)